Special Holidays

The four seasons bring welcome changes to the nature-loving Japanese. Numerous holidays and festivals are celebrated throughout the year, honoring nature, children, and the Shinto and Buddhist religions.

New Year

By far the most important holiday is New Year's Day. At year's end people rush about paying debts and preparing for the festivities, which last a week. At midnight on December 31, the temple bells announce the passing of the old year and the arrival of the new. It is customary to eat long noodles called soba as the last meal of the year. Decorations of bamboo and pine, which stand for strength, devotion, and faithfulness, are placed at the front gate of each house.

On New Year's Day itself, everyone eats mochi, or little dumplings made of pounded boiled rice. Temples and shrines are filled with people, many dressed in colorful kimonos. New Year's Day is also one of the two occasions in the year when the gates of the emperor's palace grounds are open to the people. The emperor and empress appear on the palace balcony and greet the throngs of people who have come to wish them "Banzai." This means "ten thousand years" and is their way of saying "Long may you live." At home, boys fly kites, while girls play a game much like badminton.

Girls' Day

March 3 is celebrated as Girls' Day, also known as the Festival of Dolls. Because it is the time that peach blossoms are in full bloom, it is also called the Peach Festival. Young girls wear their best kimonos and visit each other to admire their dolls.

Cherry Blossom Viewing

By early April the cherry blossoms are at their peak. Although there is no formal festival as such, it is customary for families to go on picnics at this time to enjoy the flower most loved by the Japanese.

Iris Festival

Traditionally, May 5 was observed as Boys' Day or the Iris Festival. The long, bladelike leaves of the Japanese iris were placed in a boy's bath to give him a martial, or fighting, spirit. The festival is now celebrated by all children, but the symbols of courage and strength honor boys especially. Brightly colored paper or cloth carp--a fish known for its courage--are flown from tall bamboo poles that are set up in front of every home where there is a boy.

Star Festival

Held on July 7, the Star Festival commemorates a romantic legend about the Princess Weaver Star, who falls in love with a cowherd star on the banks of the Heavenly River (the Milky Way) but is fated to meet him only once a year.

Feast of the Lanterns

The Buddhist Feast of the Lanterns, or Obon, is held on July 15 in some areas and on August 15 in others. It honors the spirits of one's ancestors, who are believed to return once a year to visit their families. During the day families visit the graves of their ancestors. In the evening the streets are decorated with brightly colored lanterns to light the way for the visiting spirits. A communal dance, the bon odori, is performed energetically. After the celebration the spirits are escorted to a river or lake if there is one nearby and sent off in miniature straw boats filled with food and incense.

Harvest Thanksgiving Festival

This festival is celebrated in October. Farmers express their gratitude to the Shinto gods of the harvest by offering them the first fruits of the field.

Shichi-Go-San

November 15 is a day of much excitement for girls of 7, boys of 5, and all children of 3. This festival is called Shichi-Go-San ("7-5-3"). It is a day when the children receive presents and visit shrines with their parents to pray to the Shinto gods for health and happiness. Apart from these traditional holidays, in recent years Christmas has become popular in Japan, even though Christians are only a tiny minority. It is not unusual for young Japanese to exchange presents or to visit a department store to see a huge Christmas tree or Santa Claus on display. However, New Year's remains the customary time for Japanese families to gather for a reunion.